Music leaf turner



Oct. 18, 1932. I c. a. SNIVELY ET AL 1,883,034

mUsIc LEAF TURNER Filed April 3, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 C. B. SNIVELY ET AL Oct. 18, 1932.

MUSIC LEAF TURNER Filed April 5, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Oct. 18, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CHESTER B. SNIV-ELY AND JOE H. WOLF, OF WAYNESBORO, PENNSYLVANIA MUSIC LEAF TURNER Application filed .April 3, 1931. Serial No. 527,562.

This invention relates to music leaf turners and has for an object to provide a device of this character which may be easily attached to music stands as well as to piano and organ racks and may be operated electrically through a foot 'switch or otherwise to turn the sheets as required.

A further object of the invention is to provide a small, compact, electrically operated device which will embody a novel pivoted pawl controlled by the armature of an electromagnet, and which coacts with a slidably fitted latch to release the spring-controlled swinging arms carrying the music sheets.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a novel step-actuated sliding latch having wards engageable with disks integral with the music carrying arms, the wards being so proportioned as to each release a corresponding disk during one step actuation of the latch so that the music sheets may be turned in sequence one at a time.

A still further object is to provide a music leaf turner which will be inexpensive to manufacture and may be constructed of a few simple, strong and durable parts which will not easily-get out of order.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists in certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed, it being understood that various modifications may be resorted to within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification,

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a music rack equipped with the improved music turner,

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the music turner in applied position,

Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross sectional view through the housing of the device and showing the mechanism in elevation,

Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view taken on the line H of Fig. 3,

Fig. 5 is a cross sectional View taken on the line 55 of Fig. 3,

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary detail view showing the controlling wards of the sliding latch and the corresponding disks of the swinging music arms,

Fig. 7 is a detail perspective view of one of the music leaf clamps, and

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 88 of Fig. 4.

Referring now to the drawings in which like characters of reference designate similar parts in the various views, the invention is shown .to comprise a back plate 5 which preferably is oblong in outline and forms a support for the hereinafter described mechanism. A half-round cover 6 is provided for the plate, as best shown in Fig. 5, the cover being preferably secured to the plate by spring tongues 7 struck from the edge of the cover and engaged in corresponding openings 8 in the back plate.

A. pair of divergent legs 9 are provided to attach the device to a music rack 10, each leg being'provided with a hook 11 at the bottom to engage over the bottom ledge 12 of the music rack and being provided near the top with an ofi'set shoulder 13 to engage over the top edge of the music rack and properly position the music leaf turning arms at the proper height for the average music leaf sizes.

An electro-magnet 14, of any preferred type, is secured to the back plate by means of a bracket arm 15 and is electrically connected by conductor wires 16, preferably to a foot switch 17, as shown in Fig. 1. The switch controls either dry cells or a step down transformer which may be easily connected to a wall socket or otherwise by means of a plug 18 and conductor wires 19. Each time the foot switch is depressed, it obviously closes the circuit through the electro-magnet, which latter, in the usual manner, attracts its armature 20.

A substantially T-shaped pawl, designated in general by the numeral 21, is pivoted, as shown at 22, to the armature, the shank 23 of the pawl extending through an opening 24 formed in the cover. A leaf sprin 25 is fixed to the back plate at one end pre erably by means of a screw 26 and is secured to the free leg 27 of the pawl by means of apin 28 and presses the pawl fowardly on its pivot.

A latch 29 is slidably fitted to move vertically on the back plate preferably by means of guide screws 30 passed through a longi bodily upward by movement of the armature 20 against the cores of the electro-magnet, lifts he latch 29 bodily one notch, and when the electro-magnet is de-energized, the receding armature will move the pawl bodily downward to allow the same to ride past the next succeeding lower tooth and lodge in rear of the tooth preparatory to again raising the latch when the electro-magnet is again energized. v

By referring'more particularly to Figs. 4, 5, and 6, it will be seen that the latch 29 is provided at the lower end with an outstanding flange 33. The flange is notched, as shown at 34, to provide a plurality of wards which also correspond in number to the number of swinging music leaf arms, three of U such arms being shown at 86 as illustrative of the present embodiment of the invention.

These wards coact with corresponding disks carried by the arms, as will hereinafter be more fully described, to lock the arms in set position, the wards being so proportioned as to progressively ride off the disks in a direction from the uppermost disk to the lower most disk to release the arms in succession according to the step actuation given the latch 80 by the pawl 31.

Referring now more specifically to Figs. 8, 4 and 8, it willbe seen that the back plate is provided at the bottom with an out-turned flange 37, and that the flange is provided centrally with a socket 38 into which is threaded the lower end of a short post 39.

Rotatably mounted on the post is a plurality of disks 40 each having a sleeve 41 which surrounds the post and supports the next uppermost disk. A helical spring 42 surrounds each sleeve, one terminal 43 of the spring being fixed to a lug 44 struck from the back plate, as shown in Fig. 5, and the opposite terminal 45 of the spring being hooked around a lug 46 which is struck from the edge of the disk. Thus, when the disk is rotated counter-cloclnvise, the spring stores up energy to move the disk clockwise.

Each disk is provided with a substantially right angular lever arm 47 which is turned down at the end and pivoted, as shown at 48, to the inner end of a corresponding music leaf turning arm 36. Each disk is provided at'the base of the lever, and on the opposite side ofthe post 38 from the lug 46, with a shoulder of the lowermost disk.

shoulder 49. The shoulder seats against a corresponding ward 33 of the sliding latch 29, as best shown in Figs. 4 and 5, and locks the disk in set position against the tension of the spring 42. In set position of the disks, the music leaf turning arms 36 are all positioned to lie flat along the right side of the music rack above the music rack, as best shown in Fig. 1.

By referring to Figs. 4 and 6 more particularly, it will be seen that the wards 35 are of various heights so that, when the sliding latch 30 is initially raised by the pawl, the uppermost ward will pass from the locking position shown in Fig. 4 to the released position shown in Fig. 6 to release the initial music leaf arm to be swung to the left by spring, while the two remaining wards still maintain contact with their respective disks. During the next step actuation of the latch, the intermediate Ward will ride off the shoulder of the intermediate disk and release this disk to be turned clockwise'by its sping, while the lowermost pawl still engages the During the third step actuation of the latch, the lowermost ward will ride off the shoulder of the lowermost disk and release this disk to be turned by its spring clockwise. Obviously, any number of music leaf arms may be operated as just described, although only three of such arms are illustrated by way of example in the present description.

he superposed disks 40 are confined on the stationary post 39 preferably by means of a collar 50, best shown in Fig. 4. The collar is preferably removably secured in place by a set screw 51.

. As above mentioned, each arm 36 is pivoted to the end of a corresponding disk lever-arm 47 by means of a pivot pin 48. An outwardly bent finger 52 on the end of the arm 36 engages the lower edge of the corresponding lever arm, as best shown in Fig. 7, and forms a stop to maintain the arm horizontal.

By again referring to Figs. 3 and 7, it will be seen that each arm 36 is provided with a pair of music sheet clamps 54, each comprising a back plate 55 which is provided with a hook 556 at the top to engage over the upper edge of the arm. A front plate 5'? is slidably secured to the back plate by means of curved tongues 58 struck from the front plate and embracin the back plate, and also similar curved tongues 59 struck from the back plate and embracing the front plate. The upper end 60 of the front plate is offset to en underneath the bottom edge of the arm and passes upwardly along the front face of the arm. 230th plates may be formed of resilient material so as to frictionally clamp the arm 36 and thus be maintained at adjusted izositions longitudinally of the arm. The plates may be spread apart at the upper ends by forcing the bent end 56 of the back plate its outwardly to remove the clamps from the arm 36.

By again referring to Fig. 3, it will be seen that the armature 20 of tie electro-magnet preferably is extended through the above mentioned opening 24 in the cover 6. Consequently, the projecting end of the armature may be struck by a violin how, a conductors baton, or pushed by the finger to lift the armature and effect a step actuation of the sliding latch 29, as above described.

Having thus described the invention, we claim:

1. A music leaf turner comprising an electro-magnet, a spring-pressed pawl pivoted to the armature of the electro-magnet, a slidably mounted latch having teeth engaged by the pawl and having a plurality of integral wards corresponding to the teeth, a pivot post below the magnet, a plurality of springcontrolled arms for holding the music sheets, and superposed disks integral with the arms and mounted to pivot on the post and engageable with the wards, said wards being proportioned to release a corresponding disk during each step actuation of the latch to free a corresponding arm to be turned by its spring.

2. A music leaf turner comprising a support, an electro-magnet on the support, a spring-pressed pawl pivoted to the armature of the electro-magnet, a latch slidably moun ed on the support laterally of the pawl and having a plurality of teeth engaged by the pawl, a plurality of wards on the latch below the teeth, a post carried by said support, a

plurality of disks rotatably mounted on the post having shoulders engageable with the wards, levers carried by the disks, music carrying arms operatively connected to the levers, and springs connected to the support and to the disks and surrounding the post and adapted to store up energy when the disks are rotated counter-clockwise to move the disks clockwise, said shoulders being engaged by corresponding wards and locking the arms stationary at one limit of swinging movement of the arms, step movement imparted to said latch by said pawl releasing said wards from said shoulders in sequence to free the arms to be swung by said springs.

3. A music leaf turner comprising a support having legs adapted to be removably secured to a music rack, a post on the sup port, a plurality of music leaf carrying arms having disks at the inner ends rotatably mounted on said support, springs connected to the support and to the disks and surrounding said post for swinging the arms in. one clirection, said arms being manually swung in the opposite direction, a sliding latch on the support having a plurality of wards engageable with shoulders formed on the disks to hold the arms at one limit of swinging movement against the tension of said springs,

an electro-magnet, and a pawl pivoted to the armature of the electro-magnet for imparting a step actuation to said latch each time the electro-magnet is energized to release one of the wards from a corresponding shoulder and permit of the corresponding arm being swung by its controlling spring.

4:. A music leaf turner comprising a support, an electro-magnet carried thereby, a ledge on the support underneath the electromagnet, a post carried by said ledge and spaced from the support, a plurality of disks having integral sleeves rotatably mounted on said post and each sleeve supporting the next uppermost disk, angular levers integral with said disks, music sheet carrying arms operatively connected to the levers, said disks be ing provided with shoulders, a latch slidably mounted on said support and having a plurality of wards engageable with said shoulders when said arms are rocked in one direction to lock said arms stationary, springs surrounding said sleeves and connected to said support and to said disks on the opposite sides thereof from said shoulders for swinging the arms in a reverse direction, a latch slidably mounted on said support and having wards engaging said shoulders, said Wards being proportioned to disengage in sequence from said shoulders when said latch is moved step by stem vertically to release the music carrying arms to be swung by said springs in sequence, and a spring-pressed pawl pivoted to the armature of the electro-magnet and engageable with integral teeth formed on the latch for imparting a step movement vertically of the latch when the armature is moved by the electro-magnet.

In testimony whereof we affix our sig-' natures.

CHESTER B. SNIVELY. JOE H. WOLF. 

